While November gives us a designated time to shine a light on the heritage, histories and endless contributions of Native Americans, as well as the historical injustices they have faced, it’s essential that we encourage respect, understanding and support of our Native American communities year-round.

The national theme of this year’s Native American Heritage Month is “Confronting Challenges and Forging New Pathways.” At Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), we hope to continue advancing that theme in the year ahead and beyond, along with our community college friends from coast to coast, and from Alaska to Hawaii.

Over the last academic year, we were honored to serve, support and educate nearly 1,800 Native American students – 6.5% of our CNM student body. We’re so proud that we regularly rank No. 1 nationally for the number of associate degrees and certificates earned by our Native American students among 794 public community colleges, where the highest degree offered is an associate degree.

Expanding connections, programs

We’re also very proud to have an Albuquerque Public Schools charter school – the Native American Community Academy – located on our Main Campus at CNM, which adds a special youthful element to our diversity and enriches our overall campus community.

This fall, we’re also holding our first Indigenous language courses (Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya and Quechua), as part of our associate degree program in Native American Studies that we launched in 2020. In January 2025, we’ll launch a Native American Language Revitalization Community Renewal course that will focus attention on the vitality of Native languages, with a focus on the Diné and Pueblo languages of New Mexico tribal cultures and communities.

CNM also has an active AISES student club to support Native American students pursuing STEM careers.

While we’re proud of many milestones and many efforts, we know there’s always more to do and more areas where we can improve, to confront challenges and forge new pathways for our Native American students and community. That’s why I’m so grateful for our Native American Advisory Council (NAAC) at CNM, which is always inspiring us to face challenges and build new routes to success on behalf of the Native American community. The council – comprising staff and faculty that identify as Native American or as advocates – provides support, a friendly environment and resources, and plans events like our Native American Heritage Month events.

Resources and career paths

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the NAAC has organized two major events for us in November. The Native American Internship and Career Expo will provide our students with opportunities to explore a wide range of internships and career pathways with Native American organizations, businesses and tribes, as well as many other employers in the community. The Native American Heritage Fest will cap off the month with a fun celebration featuring Native American musicians and artists, as well as community resources and food.

In October, we also hosted a Native American Resource Fair that informed and connected our students with on-campus resources such as wellness services, scholarships, tutoring and many other services, as well as connecting them with valuable community resources that can help improve lives.

In spring 2025, for the third year in a row, CNM will host its largest single event focused on the Native American community – the New Mexico Tribal Higher Education Summit. The meeting, organized by the NAAC and funded by the college’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, brings together representatives from our Pueblos, Nations and Tribes to learn about CNM’s programs and services, and how we support student success for our Native American and Indigenous students.

In addition to informing our Native and Indigenous friends about what we have to offer their students and potential students, the summit also provides us an invaluable opportunity to hear directly from our Native American communities on what they’d like us to improve upon. That is so important for us to hear. And then strive to do better. Not just in November, but every day, every month and every year moving forward.

To all of our community college friends, and our fellow Americans across the country, wishing you all a reflective, meaningful and inspiring Native American Heritage Month. Together, let’s continue “Confronting Challenges and Forging New Pathways.”

This article was originally published in CC Daily.